The present invention relates to a heating and/or air conditioning system for vehicle interiors with air outlets located at a middle level of the vehicle interior, especially in the dashboard. The outlets include a middle nozzle connected by air ducts with an air distributor and have a middle nozzle automatic button. A mixing chamber is integrated into the air distributor, the chamber having a cold air duct controlled by a cold air flap for supplying cold air to the mixing chamber and at least one outlet opening to the middle level. Air supplied to the middle level is controllable by at least one middle level flap, with an automatic control device that has an additional automatic button, and with a control device for linking signal values of the adjusting elements and programmed control of adjusting motors to adjust the air flaps.
A heating and/or air conditioning system of this type is known from EP 0 102 611 B1. The air stream for the passenger compartment is regulated in terms of temperature using a cold air flap located with air-side devices in the cold air duct. The quantity of air that enters the passenger compartment through the center nozzle is regulated by a shutoff flap. The cold air flap and the shutoff flap can be adjusted independently of one another over a broad range. The two flaps are forcibly controlled when the shutoff flap is closed to the point at which a relatively small air stream amounting to 30% of the maximum volume, for example, reaches the head area of the occupants. When the shutoff flap is closed further, the cold air flap is forcibly closed. This prevents an undesired stream of cold air from reaching the foot area and the defroster nozzles. The type of control for the flaps requires independent control to move the two flaps.
This invention, therefore, is based on the idea of simplifying the automatic regulation of the heating and/or air conditioning system set on the control device and the automatic regulation of the center nozzle and, at the same time, allowing manually adjusted temperature reduction at the middle level.
According to the invention, this goal is achieved by coupling the cold air flap and the at least one middle level flap together by forced guidance defining their movement possibilities such that, for maximum heating, the cold air flap and the middle level flap are closed, to regulate the air flow to middle level, the cold air flap is closed and the middle level flap is opened, depending on the desired volume of air, and to lower the temperature of middle level, the middle nozzle automatic button is unlocked and the cold air flap is opened accordingly by turning an operating element. Advantageous improvements and additions also described and claimed.
An important advantage of the invention is that, in order to move the cold air flap and the middle level flaps by a guide element, only one adjusting motor is required to permit both automatic regulation of the heating and/or air conditioning system adjusted by the control device and automatic regulation of the middle nozzle. In the same way, the desired temperature drop at the middle level can be achieved by opening the cold air flap and unlocking the automatic regulation of the middle nozzle and by manual adjustment of the middle nozzle.